The beginning of October signals that football is in full swing as the NFL gears up for Week Four.
There are just three (count 'em) teams that are undefeated, which shows that parity is rearing it's head unusually early this season.
After this weekend, there may be only one team still undefeated ... The Green Bay Packers.
On the other hand, five teams still are winless, including the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts.
The Chiefs play host to the Minnesota Vikings (also 0-3) on Sunday afternoon, while the Colts play at Tampa Bay on Monday Night Football. ESPN has to be cringing knowing the Colts, without Peyton Manning, will be the marquee game this week.
There are some big matchups in Week Four, with perhaps none bigger than the New England Patriots playing on the road against the resurgent Oakland Raiders. These two teams DO NOT like each other and there has been a great history in this series going way back to 1976 when the Raiders, on their way to a Super Bowl title, were the beneficiaries of a referee's controversial call against the "Cinderella" Pats in the playoffs.
Fast forward 25 years later when the infamous Tom Brady "tuck rule" came into play as the Patriots received the benefit of a controversial call to oust the Raiders in the post-season on their way to a Super Bowl title.

Without further adieu, here is a look at the action coming up this weekend, with predictions to follow.

Detroit (3-0) at Dallas (2-1) - The Lions are looking to go to 4-0 for the first time since 1980 when they face these Cowboys, who needed six field goals to win on Monday Night Football last week. This game could be decided by a field goal as well.

Washington (2-1) at St. Louis (0-3) - The Rams host the Redskins looking for their first win of the season. An 0-4 start for most teams would be lethal as far as playoff hopes, but the Rams play in the woeful NFC West. But this game still is a MUST WIN for the Rams.

Minnesota (0-3) at Kansas City (0-3) - The loser of this game will fall out of the playoff picture while the winner will be just another also ran.

Carolina (1-2) at Chicago (1-2) - The Bears need this one, but the young Panthers are inspired by rookie quarterback Cam Newton and Head Coach Ron Rivera, who would just love to stick it to the Bears.

Pittsburgh (2-1) at Houston (2-1) - All the hype about the Texans after their fast start will be for not if they lose to the Steelers and drop to break even.

New Orleans (2-1) at Jacksonville (1-2) - The Saints appear to have their house in order after two big offensive outputs while the Jags struggle to score points. This game could turn into a laugher.

San Francisco (2-1) at Philadelphia (1-2) - All the attention this weekend will be on the Phillies in the baseball playoffs, so look for the Eagles to soar in this one.

Tennessee (2-1) at Cleveland (2-1) - Will either of these teams score at least 20 points in this game?

Buffalo (3-0) at Cincinnati (1-2) - The Bills lead the league in scoring and their defense does just enough to help them get by. The Bengals are awful on offense, but pretty decent on defense... upset alert!

NY Giants (2-1) at Arizona (1-2) - Toss up in this one. Cardinals need to win to keep pace with the 49ers while Giants need to do same in NFC East.

Atlanta (1-2) at Seattle (1-2) - The Falcons have to get it going or they will be left in the dust of the Saints and Bucs in the NFC South.

Miami (0-3) at San Diego (2-1) - The Dolphins may be playing for Head Coach Tony Sporano's job. Not a good thing for the Chargers, who have struggled on OFFENSE so far this season. How about it Philip Rivers?

New England (2-1) at Oakland (2-1) - The Raiders and the Patriots ... enough said.

NY Jets (2-1) at Baltimore (2-1) - The Ravens face the Jets and loud mouth Coach Rex Ryan on home turf, where their QB, Joe Flacco plays much better than on the road. The Ravens should win this one.

Indianapolis (0-3) at Tampa Bay (2-1) - The Colts are going with Curtis Painter at quarterback as they face the "no name" Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. Hey, Hey Tampa Bay!
Bucs roll in this one.

Heftyinfo Picks for Week Four (Home Teams listed in BOLD)

Dallas over DetroitSt. Louis over Washington
Minnesota over Kansas CityChicago over Carolina
Pittsburgh over Houston
New Orleans over JacksonvillePhiladelphia over San FranciscoCleveland over TennesseeCincinnati over Buffalo
NY Giants over Arizona
Atlanta over SeattleSan Diego over Miami
New England over OaklandGreen Bay over DenverBaltimore over NY JetsTampa Bay over Indianapolis

Thursday, September 29, 2011

After the exciting finish to the 2011 Major League Baseball season last night, what more can be expected now that the post-season has finally arrived?
The Tampa Bay Rays staged perhaps the greatest comeback ever when they toppled the New York Yankees, 8-7 in 12 innings when Evan Longoria drilled his second home run of the game just inside the left field foul pole.
The Yankees had a commanding 7-0 lead in the eighth inning, but Manager Joe Girardi elected to go with bullpen by committee in the late innings rather than using closer Mariano Rivera.
While all that was happening in Florida, the Boston Red Sox completed their September swoon as they choked away a nine-game lead in the Wild Card chase in the final month of the season.
The Baltimore Orioles scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning against Bosox closer Jonathan Papelbon to win the game.
Over in the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals completed their incredible September comeback as well as they beat the Houston Astros, 8-0 while the Atlanta Braves squandered a 3-0 lead in the late innings and eventually lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3 in 13 innings to knock the Braves out of the post-season.
The Braves enjoyed a eight and a half game lead in early September in the Wild Card chase, but like Boston in the AL, they also choked away the lead and now find themselves on the outside looking in as the post-season gets started this weekend.

Here is a look at the teams involved in the 2011 Major League Baseball Post-Season with capsule previews and predictions for the World Series to follow ...

In the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies, who had baseball's best record (102-60) in the 2011 season, will face the wild card team, the St. Louis Cardinals while the Milwaukee Brewers, winners of the NL Central division, take on the Arizona Diamondbacks, who were a huge surprise this season in winning the NL West.

The American League will feature the wild card Tampa Bay Rays taking on the AL West division champions, the Texas Rangers in the Division Series while the New York Yankees face the AL Central champs, the Detroit Tigers, who have been one of the hottest teams in baseball down the stretch, going 30-9 to run away with their division.

PHILLIES vs. CARDINALS - Look for the Phillies to win the series in four games, even though the Cardinals took the season series from Philly, 6-3.
In the post-season, it is all about pitching and there is none better than the "Fantastic Four" the Phillies trot out to the mound with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt.
St. Louis counters with Chris Carpenter, Jake Westbrook, Jaime Garcia and Kyle Lohse for their rotation. Fernando Salas is the closer for the Redbirds while the Phillies will rely on Ryan Madson to close things out in the post-season.

BREWERS vs. DIAMONDBACKS - The Brewers will have the edge as the "home team" in this series against the upstart D-Backs, led by feisty manager Kirk Gibson.
The Brewers are slugging team with good pitching and a solid bullpen to boot.
Prince Fielder leads the way for the "Brew Crew" along with slugging outfielder Ryan Braun, who both topped the 30-home run mark in the 2011 season. Yovani Gallardo and Zach Greinke provide a one-two punch for the Brewers' staff and have Francisco Rodriguez and John Axford in the bullpen.
Arizona has a combination of speed and timely hitting to provide for their offense, including Justin Upton, who slammed over 30 home runs and topped the 20-stolen base mark as well. Ian Kennedy is the staff ace and J.J. Putz had a great season in the closer role for the D-Backs.
Take the Brewers in four games to advance to the National League Championship Series.

YANKEES vs. TIGERS - With another AL East division title under their belts, the Yankees face the red hot Tigers, who ran away down the stretch in the AL Central and have the best pitcher in baseball this year in Justin Verlander.
The Yankees have C.C. Sabathia, Ivan Nova, A.J. Burnett and probably Freddy Garcia to round out their playoff pitching rotation. After Verlander, the Tigers feature Brad Penny, Rick Porcello, Doug Fister and Max Scherzer on the mound.
The bullpens are decent and the closers are simply awesome with Mariano Rivera (the all-time saves leader) in the Yankees' pen and Jose Valverde, who was perfect in 49 save situations this season.
Score this series for the Detroit Tigers in five games as they continue on their roll toward the World Series.

RAYS vs. RANGERS - These two teams went five games last year in the ALDS with Texas eventually winning and moving onto the World Series, where they lost to the San Francisco Giants.
C. J. Wilson and Derek Holland lead the way for the Rangers pitching staff while big boppers Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz pace the offense.
The Rays are on a huge roll having overcome the Red Sox in September and will ride the "Wild Card Wave" as far as they can in October.
Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton, Ben Zobrist, Casey Kotchman and veteran Johnny Damon lead the way in the lineup while the pitching staff of David Price, James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson and Jeff Niemann and closer Kyle Farnsworth will be counted on heavily against the Rangers.
The Rays and Rangers both have been hot and this series should go the distance once again with the Rays prevailing this time around.

From there, Heftyinfo is picking the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series with the Phillies winning it all.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Here is some interesting information from the U.S. Treasury Department.
So the next time some right wing talking pundit tries to blame the Obama Administration and the Democratic party for the increase of the U.S. debt, whip this out on them.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Can anyone stop the Buffalo Bills?
Apparently not even the New England Patriots, who jumped out to a 21-0 second quarter lead, can stop the magic in upstate New York through the first three weeks of the 2011 NFL season. Buffalo also made NFL history by becoming the first team to overcome a deficit of 18 points or more in two consecutive games.
The Bills rallied to win 34-31 as Rian Lindell nailed a 28-yard field goal as time expired. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (387 yards passing and four TD passes) was intercepted four times by the Bills' defense, including a 27-yard return for touchdown by Drayton Florence that put Buffalo ahead 31-24 in the final quarter.
Bills' QB Ryan Fitzpatrick passed for 369 yards with two touchdowns and two picks to help the team improve to 3-0 and first place in the rugged AFC East.
The Bills are alone on top because of their win over New England coupled with the Oakland Raiders punishing 34-24 win over the New York Jets (2-1) at the Oakland Coliseum.
The Raiders rode the legs of Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week Darren McFadden, who rushed for 171 yards, including a 70-yard TD scamper that paced the win for the Raiders. Oakland rumbled for 234 yards on the ground as they topped the Jets and improved to 2-1.

Raiders' RB Darren McFadden scored two TD in Oakland's win over the New York Jets.

The San Diego Chargers kept pace with Oakland in the AFC West with a 20-17 home win over Kansas City, thanks in large part to the defense that kept the Chiefs under wraps all game long, limiting them to 252 total yards in offense.
Ryan Mathews ran for two scores while rushing for 98 yards to pace the offense. Chargers' QB Philip Rivers struggled with two more interceptions and no touchdown passes while throwing for 266 yards.
The Baltimore Ravens bounced back from a disappointing loss last week by crushing the host St. Louis Rams, 37-7 behind a huge game by rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith, who hauled in five passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns. Ravens' QB Joe Flacco threw for 389 yards and the Ravens put up a team record 553 yards in total offense.
The Detroit Lions stayed undefeated with a come from behind 26-23 overtime win in Minnesota as the Vikings blew a double digit lead in the second half for the third straight week.
Lions' QB Matthew Stafford (378 passing yards) hooked up with wide receiver Calvin Johnson twice for touchdowns to lead the comeback from a 20-0 halftime deficit.
In perhaps the most exciting game of the day, the New Orleans Saints knocked off the visiting Houston Texans, 40-33 as QB Drew Brees had three TD passes and threw for 370 yards while Houston's Matt Schaub passed for 373 yards and three scores as well.
The two teams combined for 930 yards in total offense and there were five lead changes in the game, including three in the final seven minutes of the game.
The Green Bay Packers systematically beat the Chicago Bears, 27-17 in Soldier Field behind Aaron Rodgers' three TD passes to tight end Jermichael Finley.
Tampa Bay defeated the visiting Atlanta Falcons 16-13 while holding Falcons' running back Michael Turner to just 20 yards rushing in the defensive struggle.
The Carolina Panthers beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 16-10 in a downpour in Carolina as QB Cam Newton did not pass for over 400 yards for the first time this season.
The Seattle Seahawks beat visiting Arizona 13-10 in a yawner in the great Northwest as Cardinals' QB Kevin Kolb threw an interception in the final minute as they were driving for the tying (or go-ahead) score.
San Francisco beat Cincinnati 13-8 on the road as running back Kendall Hunter scored the game's only touchdown.
Cleveland won at home over the Miami Dolphins, 17-16 as Browns' QB Colt McCoy hit Mohammed Massaqoui with the game winning 14-yard touchdown pass with 41 seconds left to play. The Dolphins are 0-3 and the rumors are starting to fly that Miami Head Coach Tony Sporano's job may be on the line.
The Tennessee Titans held off the visiting Denver Broncos, 17-14 to improve to 2-1 as Titans' QB Matt Hasselbeck threw two TD passes and had 311 yards through the air to offset Broncos' QB Kyle Orton's two touchdown strikes. Tennessee top wideout, Kenny Britt, was lost for the rest of the 2011 season with torn knee ligaments.In the Sunday Night game, the Indianapolis Colts gave the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers all they could handle before the Steelers eventually won the game, 23-20 on a 38-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham in the final seconds.
Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger (pictured left) passed for 364 yards and connected with wide receiver Mike Wallace for a 81-yard TD play to open the scoring. Each team scored a defensive touchdown in the game on fumble returns.
Colts' starting quarterback Kerry Collins left the game with a concussion and Curtis Painter took over and led the Colts on a game tying drive in the fourth quarter before the finishing kick by Suisham.
The Dallas Cowboys got six field goals from rookie kicker Dan Bailey, including a 40-yarder with less than two minutes remaining in regulation to edge the visiting Washington Redskins, 18-16 on Monday Night Football.

Who's going to stop Tom Brady and the New England Patriots offensive machine?
Certainly not the Buffalo Bills defense. Or will they?
The Bills haven't defeated the Patriots since a 38-0 shellacking in the 2003 season opener.
That was the year the Patriots really started down the road to the mini dynasty they became throughout the rest of the decade spanning 2000-2009.
So... maybe if the Bills beat the snot out of New England again like they did in September 2003, the Patriots could get on another roll and win back-to-back Super Bowls?
C'mon man!
New England is far and away the better team and should show that on Sunday afternoon in Orchard Park, the home of the Bills.
Don't expect Brady and the Patriots to continue to soar above the clouds however, because eventually the rest of the league catches up and pretty fast at that.
New England will win this game, but the score won't be as bad as many fearless forecasters are calling for.

NFL legends Vince Lombardi and George S. Halas

Elsewhere this weekend around the NFL, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers renew the league's oldest rivalry in Soldier Field (man it is great to call it that without some silly corporate tag attached to it) in Chicago.
Last time these teams tangled last January, the Packers won 21-14 to advance to the Super Bowl as Bears' quarterback Jay Cutler huddled in a big coat and winter ski cap on the sidelines with a knee injury.

The surging Detroit Lions travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings, trying to get to 3-0 for the first time in over 30 years.
Lions' QB Matthew Stafford has stayed in one piece so far this season and the Lions have averaged over 37 points per game in the early going.
Upset alert may be in the offing out west where the New York Jets travel to play the Oakland Raiders in the "Black Hole."
FACT: The Jets have NOT run the ball well, even though they are 2-0 this year.
The run game is their calling card and if they have to rely on Mark Sanchez and the passing game on a continuing basis, forget it... it ain't gonna happen for the Jets.
The San Diego Chargers play host to the Kansas City Chiefs and need to win this one with all the injuries the Chiefs (0-2) have had so far this season.
San Diego's vaunted offense hasn't really clicked yet even though they have piled up the yardage.
The 'Bolts have only scored 45 points through their first two games and the defense was shredded by New England last week. Turnovers have also been a problem for the Chargers, as QB Philip Rivers has been intercepted four times already in the first two games. That has to change or the Chargers just might lose this game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers roll into Indianapolis on Sunday night and should throttle the hapless Colts (sans Peyton Manning) on national television.

Hall-of-Fame QB Roger Staubach

And finally, the Cowboys and the Redskins renew the annual rivalry on Monday Night Football as Roger Staubach and Joe Theismann go at it (just kidding of course) ... as Rex Grossman and Tony Romo, punctured lung and all, will battle it out in Dallas.
It should be another exciting weekend around the NFL and when all is said and done this weekend, there will be some 0-3 teams being told their season is already over while the 3-0 teams still around will be further scrutinized by the millions of football analysts around the country.

Here are the Heftyinfo picks for Week Three (Home teams listed in BOLD) ...

Chicago over Green BayNew Orleans over HoustonPhiladelphia over NY Giants
Detroit over MinnesotaCarolina over Jacksonville
Baltimore over St. Louis
New England over Buffalo
San Francisco over CincinnatiCleveland over MiamiTennessee over DenverOakland over NY JetsSan Diego over Kansas City
Atlanta over Tampa Bay
Arizona over Seattle
Pittsburgh over IndianapolisDallas over Washington

Monday, September 19, 2011

The two big matchups in the NFL this weekend did not disappoint, although the rest of the action throughout the league in Week Two was extremely exciting.
The New England Patriots pulled away late from the visiting San Diego Chargers, who committed four turnovers in a 35-21 final score for the Pats.
Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick left his team's 35-31 loss to the host Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter with a concussion after colliding with a teammate. Falcons' QB Matt Ryan (four TD passes) and running back Michael Turner (114 rushing yards and two TD) led the way for the comeback win.

Michael Vick

The New Orleans Saints gave the visiting Chicago Bears a slice of humble pie in a 30-13 rout in the Big Easy while the Buffalo Bills delivered a huge comeback win over the visiting Oakland Raiders, 38-35 to improve to 2-0 and a first place tie with the New York Jets and Patriots in the AFC East.
How about Tony Romo, the Dallas Cowboys' QB, rebounding after blowing the game against the Jets in Week One? Romo (345 yards and two TD passes) came back and played the final part of the game with fractured ribs as Dallas rallied to beat the host San Francisco 49ers, 27-24 in overtime.

Other highlights from Week Two included the Pittsburgh Steelers dominating the visiting Seattle Seahawks, 24-0 behind solid defense and a good game from QB Ben Roethlisberger, who left the game briefly with an injury. The Steelers, which had seven turnovers in a loss to Baltimore last week, committed none in this game ... The Green Bay Packers rallied in the second half to stave off a huge upset bid by host Carolina and rookie QB Cam Newton in a 30-23 win ... Denver, behind two touchdown passes from QB Kyle Orton, beat back the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, 24-22 ... Cleveland got two rushing TD from Peyton Hillis and defeated the host Indianapolis Colts, 27-19 ... The Houston Texans knocked off host Miami, 23-13 as Ben Tate ran for over 100 yards and Matt Schaub threw two TD passes ... The Minnesota Vikings, playing in the Metro Dome for the first time since the roof collapsed last December in a snowstorm, blew a 17-0 halftime advantage and lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-20 as LeGarrette Blount ran for two scores to key the win for Tampa Bay ... The Detroit Lions are back in a big way as they thoroughly crushed the Kansas City Chiefs, 48-3 to the delight of a raucous crowd in Motown as QB Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford

threw four TD passes ... Washington beat Arizona, 22-21 in the nation's capitol in a see saw battle that saw Redskins' QB Rex Grossman throw a touchdown pass to Santana Moss in the fourth quarter and Graham Gano kick the game winning field goal with less than two minutes remaining ... The New York Jets strolled to an easy win over hapless Jacksonville in the Meadowlands Stadium, 32-3 as the defense intercepted four passes and limited the Jaguars' to 203 yards in offense ... The Tennessee Titans pulled off the surprise win of Week Two with a 26-13 beat down over the visiting Baltimore Ravens as QB Matt Hasselbeck passed for 358 yards against the Ravens' defense. The Titans' defense limited Baltimore's vaunted ground game to just 45 yards and forced three turnovers in the game.
The New York Giants beat the visiting St. Louis Rams, 28-16 in the Monday Night Football game as QB Eli Manning threw two touchdown passes and Michael Boley returned a fumble 65 yards for another score to pace the win.

HEFTYINFO NFL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Charles Woodson had two interceptions and a fumble recovery in Packers win

Other big performances around the NFL for Week Two included Patriots' QB Tom Brady (below right) passing for 423 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-21 win over San Diego.

Buffalo QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (below) threw three touchdown passes in a thrilling come from behind 38-35 win for the Buffalo Bills against Oakland.

New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie (right) intercepted two passes in the 32-3 win over Jacksonville.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Week Two of NFL action is on tap this weekend, with the biggest game of the Sunday schedule featuring the Philadelphia Eagles facing the Atlanta Falcons on the prime time Sunday Night Football game.
Michael Vick will make his return to Atlanta as a starting quarterback for the first time.
Another huge battle will take place in Foxboro, Massachusetts when the New England Patriots play their home opener against the San Diego Chargers.
Tom Brady threw for 517 yards and four touchdowns last Monday night in the Pats' season opening win in Miami while Chargers' QB Philip Rivers threw for 335 yards and two scores in the Chargers' 24-17 home opening win against Minnesota.
Those are just two of the games this weekend, the following is a capsule breakdown of the games this Sunday and Monday night with the fearless forecast as well.

Kansas City (0-1) at Detroit (1-0) - The Chiefs got rolled in their home opener against Buffalo while the Lions beat a decent Tampa Bay team on the road. The roar may well be back in Motown.

Baltimore (1-0) at Tennessee (0-1) - The Ravens have to be on guard against a letdown after their home opening beat down of the Steelers last week. The Titans have to get some offense going, but it won't happen against the Ravens defense.

Oakland (1-0) at Buffalo (1-0) - One of these two teams will be 2-0 after this one... who woulda' thunk it?

Arizona (1-0) at Washington (1-0) - See above comment.

Seattle (0-1) at Pittsburgh (0-1) - Can the Steelers rebound at home after getting their tails kicked at Baltimore last week? Against Seattle in Heinz Field, count on it... Steelers roll!

Chicago (1-0) at New Orleans (0-1) - The Bears throttled the Atlanta Falcons in home opener at Soldier Field, but now they play a Saints team in the Super Dome that does not want to start out the 2011 season at 0-2.

Jacksonville (1-0) at NY Jets (1-0) - The Jets were extremely fortunate to win last week against Dallas while the Jaguars won a yawner over the Tennessee Titans. Expect the Jets to do much better this week.

Cleveland (0-1) at Indianapolis (0-1) - The Colts miss Peyton Manning big time while the Browns blew one at home against Cincinnati. Something has to give.

Green Bay (1-0) at Carolina (0-1) - If the Panthers beat the Packers, then something is definitely out of whack in the National Football League.

Tampa Bay (0-1) at Minnesota (0-1) - The Buccaneers are supposed to be playoff contenders this season while the Vikings are adjusting on the fly. Should be an interesting game in the Metro Dome on Sunday.

Dallas (0-1) at San Francisco (1-0) - Will the Cowboys rebound after laying an egg in the final quarter last week against the Jets? The 49ers have a shot to get to 2-0, but it won't be easy.

Houston (1-0) at Miami (0-1) - The Texans won big in their home opener while the Dolphins got lit up to the tune of 517 yards passing by Brady and the Patriots on Monday night. Upset alert in Florida may be the way to pick this one... Texans beware!

Cincinnati (1-0) at Denver (0-1) - The last time these two teams faced each other was in Cincy in the 2009 season opener. Denver WR Brandon Stokley caught a game winning TD pass off a deflection. That will not happen this time because Stokley doesn't play for Denver any more.

San Diego (1-0) at New England (1-0) - Marquee matchup featuring two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. But the big question is can the Chargers start out 2-0 for the first time in the Norv Turner era? This game should go down to the wire just like last year's game between these two teams.

Philadelphia (1-0) at Atlanta (0-1) - Michael Vick returns to Atlanta, the team that let him go while he was doing time in prison. Revenge is sweet and Vick and company should have a fun time getting it.

St. Louis (0-1) at NY Giants (0-1) - The Giants are banged up on defense and the Rams likewise on the offensive side of the ball. Something has to give.

Here are the Heftyinfo game predictions for Week Two around the NFL ... (Home teams are listed in BOLD.)

Detroit over Kansas City
Baltimore over TennesseeBuffalo over OaklandWashington over ArizonaPittsburgh over SeattleNew Orleans over ChicagoNY Jets over JacksonvilleIndianapolis over Cleveland
Green Bay over CarolinaMinnesota over Tampa Bay
Dallas over San FranciscoMiami over HoustonDenver over CincinnatiNew England over San Diego
Philadelphia over AtlantaNY Giants over St. Louis

Monday, September 12, 2011

Of all the action taking place around the National Football League on the opening weekend, perhaps the biggest surprise was the Buffalo Bills going into Arrowhead Stadium and destroying the Kansas City Chiefs, 41-7 behind four touchdown passes from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week.
Fitzpatrick threw for 208 yards and connected with tight end Scott Chandler twice for scores in the rout. The Chiefs lost defensive back Eric Berry for the season with a knee injury.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were crushed by the host Baltimore Ravens, 35-7 as they committed seven turnovers in the game. The Ravens' defense intercepted Ben Roethlisberger three times, including two by veteran safety Ed Reed. Baltimore QB Joe Flacco was efficient, passing for 224 yards and three touchdowns while Ray Rice rumbled through the Steelers' defense for 107 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Houston got off to a great start blasting the visiting Indianapolis Colts, 34-7 as they built a 34-0 halftime lead and cruised to the easy win. The Colts were without QB Peyton Manning, who is recovering from his third neck surgery and may miss the entire season.

Brian Urlacher

The Chicago Bears served notice to the rest of the league that last season was not a fluke as they routed the visiting Atlanta Falcons, 30-12. The Bears' defense sacked Falcons' QB Matt Ryan five times and scored a touchdown when linebacker Brian Urlacher scooped up a fumble and returned it 12 yards for the score.
Bears' QB Jay Cutler passed for 312 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
The Detroit Lions got off to a winning start in 2011, beating host Tampa Bay, 27-20 behind solid defense and Matthew Stafford's three TD passes along with 305 passing yards. The Lions held the Buccaneers to 56 rushing yards and bottled up Josh Freeman, limiting the third year QB to 257 yards passing and just 24 rushing yards.
The Philadelphia Eagles lit up the St. Louis Rams, 31-13 behind Michael Vick, who threw for 187 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 98 more yards while running back LeSean McCoy rushed for 122 yards, including a 49-yard fourth quarter touchdown run to seal the win.
Rams' QB Sam Bradford left the game with an injured hand and RB Steven Jackson, who scored the game's first touchdown on a 47-yard run, also left the game with an injured quadriceps muscle. In addition, Rams' wide receiver Danny Amendola was also lost with a dislocated elbow.
The injury bug also bit San Diego as kicker Nate Kaeding was lost for the season with a torn ACL in his left leg and DL Luis Castillo also suffered a leg injury. Kaeding was injured on the opening kickoff as Percy Harvin took the kick back 103 yards for a score before the crowd had a chance to even settle in.
The good news for the host Chargers on Sunday was a 24-17 comeback victory over the Minnesota Vikings as QB Philip Rivers (335 yards passing with two TD and two INT) hit Mike Tolbert (three touchdowns) for the game winning 19-yard TD pass and the Chargers' defense held the Vikings to just 39 yards passing and 187 yards in total offense.
In a yawner, the Jacksonville Jaguars rode the legs of Maurice Jones-Drew (97 yards) who scored the team's only touchdown on a first quarter 21-yard run in a 16-14 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Cincinnati came back and defeated the host Cleveland Browns, 27-17 as Cedric Benson (121 yards rushing) iced the victory with a 39-yard TD run in the closing minutes. The Bengals lost quarterback Andy Dalton to an injury and Bruce Gradkowski stepped in and threw a 41-yard TD pass to rookie wideout A.J. Green to put the Bengals back on top, 20-17 in the fourth quarter. Browns' QB Colt McCoy passed for two touchdowns in the loss.
The Washington Redskins surprised the visiting New York Giants, 28-14 as QB Rex Grossman, who said the 'Skins will win the NFC East division this year, passed for 305 yards and two touchdowns to pace the win.
The Arizona Cardinals came from behind and spoiled the debut of top draft pick Cam Newton, the Carolina Panthers' quarterback in a 28-21 decision.
Newton set a rookie record by passing for 422 yards in his first-ever NFL game in addition to scoring on a one-yard run and hooking up twice with wide receiver Steve Smith for touchdowns.

Cam Newton

Not to be outdone, Cardinals' QB Kevin Kolb passed for 309 yards and a pair of scoring strikes, including a 70-yard TD to Early Doucet. The game winning play was a 89-yard punt return for touchdown by Patrick Peterson in the final quarter.
San Francisco won in Head Coach Jim Harbaugh's debut 33-17 against visiting Seattle as Ted Ginn, Jr. returned two kicks for scores in the final quarter to seal the deal for the 49ers. With the game close after the Seahawks closed to within 19-17, Ginn returned the ensuing kickoff 102 yards for a score to make it 26-17. Following a three-and-out, Seattle punted and Ginn promptly ran that back 55 yards for the final score.
In the Sunday Night Football Game, the Dallas Cowboys blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead and lost to the host New York Jets, 27-24 as former Dallas kicker Nick Folk drilled a 50-yard field goal with 27 seconds remaining in regulation.
Cowboys' QB Tony Romo (342 passing yards and two TD passes) went from hero to goat as he fumbled at the Jets' one-yard line on a third down scramble with his team ahead 24-17 in the final six minutes. The Jets were able to tie the game on a punt block that was returned 18 yards by Isaiah Trufant.
Romo and the 'Pokes had a chance to get a winning drive but Darrelle Revis intercepted a Romo pass to set up the game-winning field goal by Folk. Jets' QB Mark Sanchez passed for 335 yards and two touchdowns.

Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers

The Opening game for the 2011 season took place last Thursday evening in Green Bay as the defending Super Bowl Champion Packers held off the New Orleans Saints, 42-34 in a shootout that saw the Saints and Packers combine for over 800 yards of offense in this one.
Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers threw three TD passes and had 312 yards while Saints' QB Drew Brees had 419 passing yards and three scoring passes as well. The Saints outgained the Packers 477-399 in total offensive yardage, but the Packers' defense came up big when it mattered most, stuffing New Orleans rookie running back Mark Ingram at the one-yard line on the game's final play to provide the outcome.
Other notable performances in the exciting season opener was Packers' rookie WR Randall Cobb scoring on a 32-yard pass play and also returning a kickoff 108 yards for another touchdown. Also returning a punt 72 yards to paydirt was Saints' RB/return man Darren Sproles.
And finally, the Monday Night games did not disappoint as the New England Patriots picked up right where they left off in 2010 when they led the NFL in scoring, putting a 38-24 win on the board in Miami against the Dolphins.
Patriots' QB Tom Brady, the Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week, passed for 517 yards and four touchdowns, including a 99-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Wes Welker, to lead the way in the high scoring affair.
The teams combined for over 1,100 yards of offense in the game and Miami QB Chad Henne passed for 416 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
In the late game in Denver, the Oakland Raiders beat the Broncos, 23-20 as kicker Sebastian Janikowski kicked a record tying 63-yard field goal to make the difference.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

With the Ten-Year Anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 being honored and commemorated throughout the NFL this Sunday, the league kicked off games in 13 different cities as the 2011 season got underway.
The biggest surprise of the day may well have been the Buffalo Bills going into Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City and just destroying the Chiefs, 41-7 behind four touchdown passes from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
There were some other "surprises" on this opening weekend around the league, but as always... Heftyinfo will have the NFL Week in Review on Monday's and Tuesday's this season.
Here is just a teaser of the action that took place today as the Chicago Bears overwhelmed "Matty Ice" (Matt Ryan) and the Atlanta Falcons in Soldier Field, 30-12 behind stellar defense that included a touchdown by Bears' linebacker Brian Urlacher off a fumble recovery.
The Washington Redskins stunned the visiting New York Giants, 28-14 and made quarterback Rex Grossman look like a prophet as he predicted it will be the 'Skins winning the NFC East.
Monday night action will have a double header once again this year with the New England Patriots playing the Dolphins in Miami followed by the Denver Broncos hosting their arch rival, the Oakland Raiders.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The NFL season kicks off Thursday night with the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Green Bay Packers hosting the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field.
The Packers are led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Super Bowl MVP and a stifling defense that peaked at the right time last season to help propel Green Bay into the post-season, where they were quite dominant on the road en route to the Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-25.
The Saints, who won the Super Bowl the year before, are led by quarterback Drew Brees, who finished third in the NFL in passing yardage last season. Brees was the second quarterback ever (along with Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino) to throw for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdown passes in a season three years in a row.

It could very well be a shootout in Green Bay with the Packers prevailing, 31-26 in the Thursday Night Football opener.
The rest of the weekend action takes place Sunday and there are two Monday Night Football games in the opening week.
There are some intriguing match ups in Week One, especially a huge early season battle in the AFC North where the Pittsburgh Steelers go against the host Baltimore Ravens. These two teams should battle all the way until the end of the season for the division crown.
The brothers Ryan will try and out coach each other Sunday night in New York when the Jets play host to the Dallas Cowboys.

Rex Ryan

Rex Ryan is the Head Coach of the Jets and his brother Rob is the new Defensive Coordinator for the Cowboys. Their father Buddy, the architect of the famed 46 defense played to perfection by the 1985 Chicago Bears, will be on hand to watch the game.
The "dream team" Philadelphia Eagles will get a test on the road when they face the St. Louis Rams, led by second year quarterback Sam Bradford.
The Eagles have Michael Vick and a host of talent on both sides of the ball as they look to fly to the Super Bowl this season.
Atlanta and quarterback Matt Ryan will travel to Soldier Field in Chicago to face the Bears, who were just one win away from reaching the Super Bowl last year. Both teams lost to Green Bay in the post-season. Expect a physical battle in this one.
One more thing, the Indianapolis Colts will be without Peyton Manning (recovering from neck surgery) under center for the first time in fourteen years when they play on the road against the Houston Texans. Don't expect the Texans to go lightly on the Colts, as they are just 2-16 all-time against Indy.
It should be an interesting start to the season as there will be surprises, no doubt as well as the big plays and big hits that accompany the NFL.

Here are the Heftyinfo fearless predictions for Week One, with predictions as well for the upcoming 2011 season and playoffs.

(Home teams listed in BOLD)

Green Bay over New OrleansChicago over Atlanta Kansas City over BuffaloHouston over Indianapolis
Philadelphia over St. Louis
Detroit over Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh over Baltimore
Tennessee over JacksonvilleCleveland over Cincinnati
NY Giants over WashingtonSan Diego over Minnesota San Francisco over SeattleArizona over CarolinaNY Jets over Dallas
New England over Miami
Oakland over Denver

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The site heftyinfo attempts to speak common sense ... if that is possible in politics. The first love of this site is SPORTS, but also intriguing thoughts on other topics will appear... Just having fun here with a hobby.